The Devil Is In The Details...

So the "Three Cities" - "Trójmiasto" of Gdansk, Gdynia, and Sopot - are beautiful. I really enjoyed this area and seeing the BALTIC SEA! :-D Sadly, did not touch it, but not sure I would like even putting a finger in (which was all that was technically allowed for my group. ;) ) I wish our stay were longer and I would love to see more or return soon (especially in summertime).The train trip went by pretty quickly and we even saw the Teutonic castle in Malbork as we passed:

Not my personal photo, of course. ;)

On Friday, we went and checked in to our hotel. It was so nice to be in a proper hotel, not a hostel or dorm. :-P I stayed in a room with two other girls and decided to take a fold-out instead of one of the two twin beds. It was a cute room. We went out to dinner at a restaurant that specializes in regional cuisine. I had a Kashubian (that part of Poland has people known as Kashubians, who are influenced by Polish and German culture) fish soup and a salad with smoked salmon, vegetables, fish eggs (thought "eggs" on the menu were from a chicken, heehee ;) ), and vinaigrette. My meal was all pretty good. Afterwards, I hung out some with the other students and we went out for a bit at night. We walked around the city some before going to bed before a day of major touring of Gdansk. We had a European continental breakfast (eggs, kielbasa, bread, rolls, dry cereals, whole fruits, drinks, tomatoes, cucumbers, crepes/nalesniki, sliced meats and cheeses, etc.) before going on a walking tour of Gdansk. We saw statues, fountains, monuments, the town hall, a special meeting hall, an older church (climbed ALL the way to the small viewing deck on top, a whopping 400+ steps - my calves still feel it a bit when I climb stairs),  a Solidarity Museum, and the famous Gdansk/Lenin Shipyards where Solidarity/Solidarność began! After that, we had some time to relax (in the middle of the tour we did have a coffee break; I had a soy latte (that I left unsweetened) and a parfait of yogurt, flakes, and fruit) and do as we please before a LONG (we happened to go to Gdansk on a weekend with deals similar to those in places that have Restaurant Weeks with special menus and prices for certain dishes, which made restaurants and cafes participating in these half-prices much busier than usual) dinner at a mixed-ethnic restaurant (Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, etc.); I had some delicious clear borscht and a fish that was cooked with shredded beets on top and salads/coleslaws/shredded vegetables/sides. It was one of the best fish meals I have ever had. I finished off with some fruit in whipped cream (sadly, each course took an hour, which caused a three-hour or so meal). On Sunday, after packing-breakfast-checkout, we took a bus to different sites around Gdansk, Gdynia, and Sopot: ports, piers, monuments, parks, etc. before having lunch in Sopot (I had a decent fish soup and a small salad with mixed seafood on it). I had a nice chat with other students and the amazing tour guide we had both Saturday and Sunday. The weather was great on Sunday and our trip ride back was fun; it is a great time when the entire program group can spend some time together.

Today, my Polish class was cancelled so that our abroad group could visit the Polish Parliament buildings. After that fun tour (reminded me of visiting the UN), I had a quick lunch at Green Way (cabbage and other vegetable soup; tofu and vegetables in tomato sauce on top of kasza with sides) before a shortened history class (we left early to go on another walking tour with our Jews in Poland class). The last tour I went on today included both places I had and had not seen: various monuments and markers of the former Jewish ghetto, famous Jews, or areas where many Jews had been before the Holocaust drastically cut down their population size. I visited a lot of places and learned so much these past few days. :) I especially enjoy the feeling of being and of seeing new places. Ahh, it can give quite a rush and giddiness in me. :-P

Pictures here: photobucket.com/kab1221

Savior's Square / Plac Zbawiciela

I saw fireworks again. :)

Tomorrow, in Polish class, we are watching another film: http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117934108?refcatid=31

This weekend is the Gdansk/Gdynia/Sopot trip and then on Monday afternoon my Jews in Poland class is going on a tour of "Jewish Warsaw." In this class, we also began to watch a DVD with different clips of stories from survivors of Auschwitz. It seems the more detailed the accounts are and the more I learn about Auschwitz, the worse this place (I have already seen in person) becomes... not that a concentration camp can ever really seem any better... but it is almost unbelievable. 

My politics class had a discussion about Polish mass media today, which was interesting because we heard about different present-day magazines, television channels, and radio stations. Since I have a field trip for my Jewish class on Monday afternoon, I will sadly be missing a speaker coming to this politics class - a well-educated economist and friend of our professor. We also may go visit the parliament buildings next week with our politics professor, specific date and time in the process of being scheduled.

The weather today was very unpredictable. The last few days have been not-too-great weather-wise, but today was actually nice for a few hours mid-day. But, while I was in my last class, the sky darkened to gray and then it was chilly and began to rain on-and-off (drizzling right now). I hope the weekend weather on the Baltic is nice for our touring!

You Are A Tourist / Danzig

Today is cloudy, cool, and may rain later. I only have one class later in the afternoon. Before that, I have to pick up some items from the CIEE office. After class, it is the weekend. :) Plans include, a day-trip to Łódź tomorrow and going to see some parks (if the weather allows, of course) on Saturday and Sunday, before I go to a classical music performance on Sunday evening (which is the anniversary of the Smoleńsk plane crash, so our group was warned about demonstrations and other activity going on that day, especially near the Presidential Palace).


Yesterday, our CIEE group had a meeting about our trip next weekend to Gdańsk (also with stops in the other two of the "Three Cities": Gdynia and Sopot). We leave Friday morning (not early!) for a train ride that is about five-and-a-half hours. We are staying at a hostel (Dom Muzyka: http://www.dom-muzyka.pl/) and will go out to dinner on Friday to a place that serves local (Kashubian) cuisine (Velevetka: http://www.velevetka.pl/). On Saturday we have breakfast at the hostel (which is apparently well-reviewed by previous students) before going on a day of tours: Gdańsk's Old Town and the Museum of Solidarity. We have some of the afternoon off before dinner in the evening at Kresowa (which is more international cuisine to represent all of the different kinds of people who came to the city because of its commercial importance). On Sunday, another breakfast before touring Sopot (one main attraction for us Americans seems to be this: http://2bored4fun.blogspot.com/2009/05/crooked-house-in-sopot-poland.html) and Gdynia. We have lunch in Sopot before going on a train in the afternoon back to Warsaw.